Key facts
- Kamilė V., a Lithuanian schoolgirl, won a NATO essay competition.
- The competition focused on NATO's importance and collective defense.
- Kamilė's essay discussed hybrid threats and the role of critical thinking.
- She received a prize that included a ride in a German Bundeswehr tank.
- Germany is permanently stationing approximately 5,000 troops in Lithuania as Panzerbrigade 45.
- A survey showed 72% of Lithuanians support the German troop presence.
A Lithuanian schoolgirl named Kamilė V. won a NATO essay competition, earning her a unique prize: a ride in a German Bundeswehr tank. The competition, organized by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, aimed to underscore the significance of NATO and collective defense. Kamilė's winning essay focused on hybrid threats and the importance of critical thinking to combat disinformation, a topic she chose to write in German, impressing organizers with her language skills.
As part of her prize, Kamilė visited the Pabradė training area, where she met soldiers from the new Panzerbrigade 45. This brigade, comprising around 5,000 German troops, is being permanently stationed in Lithuania, close to the Belarusian border, to bolster NATO's eastern flank. During her visit, Kamilė was shown a Puma infantry fighting vehicle and also had the opportunity to ride in a Leopard tank, experiencing firsthand the technology and interior of military hardware.
The permanent deployment of German troops in Lithuania is a significant development for regional security, with a recent survey indicating broad public support, with 72% of Lithuanians backing the initiative. The essay competition itself attracted a record number of entries this year, suggesting a growing interest among young people in Lithuania's NATO membership and national defense.